1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an object-selecting method for selecting an object, such as a computer icon displayed on a screen of an electronic apparatus, using a touchpad of the electronic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many users prefer selection of an object, such as a computer icon, displayed on a touchscreen of an electronic apparatus by a finger, rather than by a stylus, to save the time and effort required for retrieving and handling the stylus. However, selection of an object by a finger is slow and error prone. Two object-selecting techniques have been proposed heretofore to address these issues.
In the first object-selecting technique, as illustrated in FIG. 1, when a tip of a user's finger 1 is detected on a touchscreen (not shown), and when the tip of the user's finger 1 overlaps more than one object 11 displayed on the touchscreen, a cursor extension 10 is shown on the touchscreen, which thereafter may be moved to select one of the objects 11.
In the second object-selecting technique, called Shift, as illustrated in FIG. 2, when a tip of a user's finger 1 is detected on a touchscreen (not shown), and when the tip of the user's finger 1 overlaps more than one object 11 displayed on the touchscreen, a window 20 is shown on the touchscreen. The window 20 contains a plurality of objects 22, each of which corresponds to a respective one of the objects 11 overlapped by the tip of the user's finger 1, and a cursor extension 21, which may be moved to select one of the objects 22.
The two conventional object-selecting techniques are disadvantageous in that the cursor extension 10, 21 has to overlap the object 11, 21 being selected. Moreover, after selection of the object 11, 21, the conventional object-selecting techniques require the user to lift his/her finger 1 off the touchscreen prior to selection of another object 11, 21. Further, with these conventional object-selecting techniques, selection of an object 11, 21 near an edge of the touchscreen is inconvenient. In addition, in the first object-selecting technique, as illustrated in FIG. 3, when the cursor extension 10 overlaps the object 11 and the tip of the user's finger 1 overlaps another object 12 displayed on the touchscreen simultaneously, the object 11 can be mistaken for the object 12.